The Standout Specimen: New Zealand’s Tallest Northern Rata Tree Wins 2024 Tree of the Year Award

Winning the 2024 Tree of the Year award from the New Zealand Arboricultural Society, a unique northern rata tree is now being hailed as one of New Zealand’s tallest and most remarkable trees. Known affectionately as “the walking tree,” this impressive specimen stands alone in a vacant lot next to a cemetery near Karamea on the west coast of the South Island. With its long roots and branches that extend out to each side at the base, the tree trunk reaches about 32 meters tall, equivalent to a seven-story building.

Believed to have existed for centuries, the northern rata tree is one of New Zealand’s most resilient flowering plants with the potential to live up to 1,000 years. Although experts are unsure of its exact age, it is currently the only remaining tree from a forest that was cut down approximately 150 years ago. As an epiphyte, this plant begins life on the surface of a host plant before its roots eventually reach the ground. It is speculated that “the walking tree” started its life in the canopy of a host tree, absorbing air and rainwater until it could establish its roots in the ground.

Endemic to New Zealand, this majestic plant was once abundant throughout its forests but has become vulnerable due to deforestation and other threats such as possums and disease. The palm-tailed possum feeds on its leaves, roots and fungi while Austropuccinia psidii poses a significant risk to its health and survival due to originating from South America. Despite these challenges, “the walking tree” stands tall as a symbol of resilience and endurance in adversity.